


Then I Defy You, Stars

by DeanRH



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 15x18 coda, Canon Compliant, Coda, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanRH/pseuds/DeanRH
Summary: Dean's going to get his angel back.He has a few words.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 25
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

"No. _No._ Fuck that. I'm gonna bring him home."

Dean let out a breath stained with tears, and pushed himself up off the floor.

He wasn't letting Castiel go without a fight.

He _especially_ wasn't letting Castiel go before he -

well.

He had some words for the angel that he didn't have time to say.

***

The door to the Empty burst open.

"What the hell are _you_ doing in here?" demanded the Shadow, in the shape of Meg. "How did you even get _in,_ there's no _door_ there -"

"I'm Dean Winchester," Dean announced, "and this is my brother, Sam."

Sam nodded to him, a reassurance Dean grabbed hold of.

"And I'm here for my boyfriend, Castiel," said Dean, a little shakily.

"Kind of assumptive, Dean, did you even ask -"

"Shut up, Sam."

"Right, right, not the point."

Dean stood up proudly, gun in hand.

"And I'm here to bring him home," he announced.

" _What are you doing?!_ " Chuck wailed behind them in anguish. "This isn't how this is supposed to go! You're _Dean,_ you like porn and pie and hot women and fast cars!"

"That's true," Dean acknowledged. "And apparently I also like hot angels."

"But -"

"C'mon, Chuck, don't you remember Anna?" Dean asked sweetly. "You _wrote me that way._ "

"Anna was a _woman_ ," Chuck argued.

"What can I say, you gave me a taste, now I want the gourmet meal," said Dean. " _Cas! Castiel!_ "

"No, I refuse to let you do this," said Chuck. "You're _my creation,_ I control you! This story is just about two brothers on the road."

"Really?" asked Sam. "So then - what were Jody and Donna, Ash, Garth, Bobby, Jack?"

He paused.

" _Jess,_ " he said, the word still laced with pain. "Narrative foils?"

"Buddy, this show ain't been about two brothers since more than decade ago," said Dean. "Besides, this shit is straight-up unhealthy. And the _misogyny_ , Chuck, do you know what _year_ it is?"

"Yeah, we could also do with less racism," added Sam. "Oh, and maybe some more characters that reflect the _actual_ American experience? Where are all the Black people, the Asians, the Native Americans, the LGBT?"

Chuck rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe I created the world's most macho men who turned into millennial SJWs," Chuck whined. "I should _never_ have made you so sensitive."

"Try _reasonable,_ " said Dean. "We've driven all over America, and buddy, let me tell you, it's _suspiciously_ fuckin' white."

"And male," added Sam.

"And straight," finished Dean. "Let's just see if we can change that, shall we? _Castiel_?"

" _Stop being so loud!_ " the Shadow yelled, clamping her hands down over her ears.

"Look, lady, I got a deal for you," said Dean. "You give me back Castiel and you're right back to sleep, got it? And if not, I'll be banging pots and pans around here 'til kingdom come, you got me? How much do you like the song _Henry the Eighth?_ Because I got powerful lungs and I can _wait til the stars burn out._ "

"Fine!" the Shadow cried out. "Just take him and leave! But I'm _done_ with him, do you understand me? Find somewhere else to put him, I haven't had a minute's rest!"

"Deal," said Dean.

He stepped forward into the darkness.

"Dean, do you even know where you're going?" asked Sam.

"No," said Dean. "But I'm gonna find him, Sam. You stay here and wait for me."

"But -"

"For once in your life, will you just _listen_ to me, little brother?" asked Dean.

Sam looked ready to argue, but then he sighed.

He lowered his gun.

"Okay," he said. "But if you're not back in an hour -"

"What're you gonna do?" asked Dean. "Please. Sam."

The _I love him_ was spoken through a look he gave his brother.

Sam just nodded and stepped aside.

Dean nodded back, and pushed forward into the dark.

***

"Cas? Castiel?" Dean called out in the darkness.

He had no idea where he was, no way to light his return.

He hated to admit it, but he was getting a little scared.

Walking through empty black nothing, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears.

There was nothing to fight but himself.

"If I speak in tongues of men or of angels," he murmured, "but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

Dean kept moving.

"Love is patient," he said aloud, and for some reason this soothed him, so he continued to recite from memory. "Love is kind. Love is not jealous, or boastful."

Dean's thoughts settled around Castiel like a warm blanket of words, of images, and somehow the fear slipped away from him, as if the angel was his armor here as he had always been.

"Castiel?" Dean called, then continued. "Love is not proud. It is not rude, or self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs."

And just there, Dean saw something forming in his vision. 

The shape of a man.

At first he thought his eyes must be playing tricks on him, after all that time in the dark, but the closer he got, the more defined the shape became.

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

Dean got down on his knees in front of Castiel's huddled form.

"Boy, I got some truth for you."

The huddled form moved.

Castiel's eyes opened, and then focused.

His first word was spoken in disbelief:

"Dean?"

***

"You're coming with me, Cas," said Dean. "Because I love you too, you absolute asshole."

Castiel stared at him.

Then he sat up.

"And you know what, Cas?" said Dean. "Our love defied everything in this universe. You get how powerful that is? Because I do. Now. I'm sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass and say it."

Castiel just blinked those baby blues at him.

"Dean?" he said again, like he wasn't sure.

"I'm here to take you home."

***

Somehow, they lurched toward the doorway together, Castiel leaning on Dean's shoulder.

And when he saw Sam and the Shadow-Meg and Chuck again, in the light of the doorway, something clicked inside him.

The _rage_ of him, that seething anger, that part of him he'd always kept hidden, thinking it a terrible and cruel thing - 

and at times, it had been -

he realized that it could _also_ be forged into a weapon of righteous light.

"Outta my way, asshat," said Dean, shoving Chuck aside and dragging Castiel through the door.

"What he said," Sam grinned, and followed.

***

As it happened, Chuck was overwhelmed by angels and demons making their way out of the Empty, despite his protests. The world had spun wildly out of his control.

"Stop! Stop! I command you!" Chuck shouted, but no one paid him any mind.

"Guess what, Chuck?" Dean said. "You have no power over me."

"Quoting _Labyrinth_ again, Dean," Sam murmured. 

"Who cares?" said Dean. "Hotter chicks, better writing." 

"Dean," said Castiel, turning to him as the flood of angels returned to the earth, ignoring Chuck entirely. 

"I thought we'd have to fight," said Dean. "Turns out, we had to do the opposite."

And Dean grabbed Castiel by the trenchcoat lapels and kissed him, raising his middle finger to Chuck in the meantime.

After a moment, Cas did, too.

When they broke apart, grinning at each other like idiots, Dean finished:

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres," said Dean. "Love never fails."

Cas smiled back.

"And now, these three remain: faith, hope, and love," he said. "But the greatest of these is love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I can wait til the stars burn out" is a quote from my other favorite angel thing, _The Prophecy_ with Christopher Walken. If you haven't seen it yet, you should! It's awesome, and similar to _Supernatural_ in many ways.


	2. Author's Note

Any of the rest of you barely sleeping? This reminds me of being a stupid teenager on a summer night in love. Fucking happiness every time I remember. That hope better not crash and burn. Why do I care so fucking much? I mean, I always loved this story, but now I'm _invested._

Hope you're all doing well, if you were visiting the motel I'd get you all an ice bucket and we could have some sparkling wine to celebrate. No champagne around here, but let's be honest, champagne's not always better.

 _This_ is the real Unattached Drifter Christmas.

Hells bells.


End file.
